CATV Install East Indianapolis - something doesn't smell right here (early 1980's)

 This happened years ago when I was an cable TV installer. Sometime in the early 1980's when CATV was initially being installed.  I was in the bad section of town and when I came up to the house I noticed a bit of an odor. They showed me where they wanted the tv and I told them that it would work out best if I could bring the cable through the basement.

They said that I probably wouldn't want to go down there, but I insisted that it would make the job a lot easier for me if I could route it that way. I opened the door to go down and I found the source of the odor - about a foot and half of raw sewage was down there. Pipe must have broke months before and was never fixed.

Becky was helping me and we actually figured a way to get the cable through the basement - using a landing and piece of furniture to get the cable up through the floor.  Not a pleasant job, but we managed.

As we were winding down the install, we found out about at least part of the problem of that household. The phone rang and a young teenage daughter answered. When she got finished, she hung up and announced to her mother, "It's the VA again, Daddy got drunk again last night and they took him there."

I could not fathom how the family could live there like that. Felt sorry for the kids - they seemed to take the situation as normal.  

Grandpa Jack racing the Dodge

 We rode up to Marion with my Dad - grandpa Jack.  He is not one to be silent for long and we talked about various topics.  I happened to ask him if he remembered people being busted for drag racing on Highway 70 when it was being constructed.  I had recalled seeing the article in the paper when I was growing up.  

He could not remember the exact year, but he bought a Dodge that was like a 1954 model.  It was a sedan and they somehow squished a V-8 engine into it.  He said that it was not really made for a V-8, but they made it fit and there was only like a inch or two space between the engine and the fender wells.  So it was a small but fast car - it was like all engine.  He also said it had a unique transmission. You could run it as an automatic, or you could shift it like it had a clutch.

So a guy with a chevy had an engine with 2 carburetors.  He thought that he was the fastest in town, Dad thought he was the fastest. So they raced and Dad won.  They raced a second time with the same result. 

Dude was hopping mad.  So dude had an idea - lets race backwards!  Well he did not know it but Dad had experience with tow motors and had done a lot of factory work moving stuff around - forwards and of course backwards.  So the two cars lined up, rear bumpers forward and of course Dad smoked him.  Dude laid rubber getting out of there and never challenged Dad again.

This was the same Dodge that Dad used to date my mother.  503 is a curvy road between Lewisburg and West Alexandria.  It has several hills. He used to pass cars on a blind curve - never knowing is a car is coming from the other direction or not. Mom used to get frantic - and finally got him to stop doing that.  Knowing Dad now, you would never think that he was dare devil who drag raced, ran in demolition derbies and passed on blind curves.  But at one time - he was that guy.

Tardy graduations to Julia

 

Ms. Julia Myers,

Tardy – I will bet that is a word that you have not heard in a while. Well I apologize for being tardy with your graduation present. 2020 has been a tumultuous year for everyone, and it is not finished yet. This is the first time I gave out a graduation present in September. As the expression goes – better late than never.

Well there is no doubt that when the family gathers around for the holidays that you will have a topper story of all topper stories. When your Dad talks about how bad the blizzard was back 1978, you can roll your eyes and say “Hrrumpth, that was nothing – let me tell about my senior year – it all started in the spring of 2020.”

Then you can go on about how you had the pandemic of 1917, depression and job loss of the 1930's, and race riots of the 1960's all in one year! Oh, you had a few snow drifts and had to go without Pepsi for a week, we had no toilet paper – for a month!

And like all good stories you need to grow this over time. Right now it is a seedling but in 20 years you can retell the story with a few embellishments. The story of 2020 will one day grow to a mighty Oak. You can say that you had to do school from home. They used passenger pigeons to send the work to you and then you wrote up your homework, tied it to the leg of the pigeon and sent it back. An oxcart used to come down the road once a week and picked up all the Covid dead and dumped them in the gravel quarry. How you used to barter a cut and manicure in a back alley for a roll of contraband toilet paper. With the right nurturing you will be able to keep future generations of kids enthralled with tales of 2020.

Well after this summer I am sure that you are ready for 2020 to be over and to get on with your life. I understand the plan is to be a hairdresser. Someone like me would give you little business with my diminishing quantity of hair. But I hope that you find a good shop and a loyal clientele. You will learn all the business – both good and bad, of the town where you set up shop. Maybe you can write a book about all the gossip – after you retire of course. I admire anyone who can keep up with all the trends. I can remember when blue hair was a permanent gone bad, now it is something that folks will pay extra for. Keeping up with fashion is something that I gave up on long ago, as you can tell by the way that I dress.

Well I am about to conclude. As I tell all graduates – neither a borrower, nor a lender be. Live within and actually below your means. No one is going to give you a pension, so start that 401k like now. Money is not everything, but being wise with money will make your life easier. Everything in moderation, alcohol, food, even love. I hope that the future treats you well and that you can retell the story of 2020 many, many times.

Letter to Lilly

Lilly, congratulations upon your graduation. In a year that has seen a review of the Great Depression, 1918 Flu Epidemic, and the Race Riots of the 1960's it has been quite the threshold into adulthood. And the year is but half over, one wonders what other great calamities await us all in the second half of the year. But for now there is a pause and it is a time to celebrate as best we can the closing of one door and the opening of another.

Education is best looked upon as a bootcamp, myriad trials and mental marches where teachers and peers prepare you for the long slough of life. Some will teach you what to do and others are a reminder of what not to do. Only 10% of what you learn, you will actually use as an adult. So choose the right 10% to remember.

And the endless ladders where you get that 1^st step and gradually pull yourself to the top, only to find another ladder. Kindergarten was the 1^st step into grade school. Then came middle school and finally high school. But wait now there college and its rungs. Then comes your career and its rungs. Same with relationships – another ladder to be climbed one rung at a time, learning and growing as you progress. If you stay stationary then you will grow stale, but if you continue to push yourself and grow then it becomes a continuous improvement project where you become the best Lilly that you can be.

I think that your choice of veterinary medicine as a major in college is a wise one. You don't have to listen to your patients complain as a doctor would. They might howl a bit though. The one thing that I can recall from being on that college campus was that they would play 'Old Rocky Top' at every opportunity. You will either learn to love it or hate it by the end of your time there.

Old people are great at giving advice. It is learned from a life time of making mistakes. Oh to go back in time and correct all the wrongs. Be that as it may, listen to your elders, well except when we drink. Your aunt and I can tell some pretty wild tales. But here goes: Neither a borrower or a lender be – keep that student loan debt to a minimum. It is quite a lodestone to carry about ones neck. Don't get that new car, when a gently used one will suffice. Live below your means and save. Don't be like the Federal government and just spend, spend, spend willy nilly. We were able to retire early because we saved and lived frugally.

All things in moderation. Love, alcohol, shopping, don't let any one thing obsess your life. Have fun, I think your generation will find fulfillment in experiences. So set a bucket list now of the things that you would like to see and do. Then set aside the time and money and do a trip to Europe, a hike on a section of the Appalachian trail, a trip to the sewing machine museum in Nebraska – just be wild like that.

Oh, I could wax on, but by now you are ready for another beer and ready to spend the enclosed $50. Your aunt and I will be watching and hoping for the best for you. Best wishes for success where ever the road leads you.

Lake Erie Wedding

Good time up at Lake Erie.  My friend, Jon Myers, put on a wedding for his oldest daughter at an old winery on an island.  Ironically, the winery is now closed and now owned by the state to preserve the historic structure - but get this, they don't allow wine to be served to guests at this site. So all levels of confusion from my perspective. They had to get a special permit just to be able to serve beer at the reception.  

It was threatening weather and with an outdoor ceremony it looked doubtful at first that we would get through it unscathed.  But the rain held off until well afterwards and when we did finally get some rain, it was a gentle sprinkle that cooled things off. The reception was under a large shelter and so we were covered all the way. The ceremony went fine as did the reception.

Jon paid for a special ferry to take guests back to the mainland.  It was supposed to leave at 8pm but they said that they were leaving at 7:45pm no exceptions.  Margaret then gets on the platform of the ferry in her wedding dress so that they could not lift it and leave.  I couldn't hear what all was said but she was pointing fingers and giving them a piece of her mind.  So she is not taking crap from anyone - just like her Dad.  I hope that Austin (the groom) paid attention, she won't take much guff before she blows her top.

We used our extra day to check out a winery, Mon-Ami.  It was a happening place.  We had brunch there and got a couple of bottles of their wine.  Out back they have a large patio, bar, and stage.  They had a band playing.  We listened to a song or two and moved on.  The water was high so we did not spend much time at the beach. And I forgot my fishing gear - left it by the door of the workshop.  So we didn't spend much time at the water.  We did find another place named Cleats later that day where we sat by the water and had a few cool ones. Nice restaurant and a nice staff.  We enjoyed our time there.

We definitely plan to go there again.  We had that extra day to explore and check things out - we liked what we saw.  Lots of stuff to do and see.  It might be nice to head back up there in the fall before it gets cold and spend some time.  

Jasmine Graduates

Dear Jasmine,

Congratulations upon your impending graduation. 12 long years to get to this point. They call it education, but it really is a bootcamp. Supposedly to prepare you for life. Although you spend all this time in school, I am not sure that what is taught pertains to the average persons life. Sure you learn isosceles triangles, diagramming sentences, and Valley Forge – but do they teach you how to fix a leaky faucet, balance a checkbook, or what to do if your car breaks down at 2 in the morning? Tasks that you might actually have to do. These things are left for you to figure out on your own, so now the real education begins.

Well for now you are full of energy and vigor, you have not been ground down yet by the gear wheels of life. There is time enough for that. But enjoy your new freedom. 12 years was a long time to do – with no chance of parole! Have fun but not too much fun. Moderation in all things – drink, food, and even love.

Yes, now it is time for advice - although much of this will go unheeded. Money is not everything. But being careful with money will make life much easier. Live below your means and save back a rainy day fund. Your grandfather, my uncle Rusty, gave me good advice that I have taken – it would do you well to listen to what he has to say.

Neither a borrower nor a lender be – words from Shakespeare. But words that still carry meaning today. Don't rush out and get credit cards or a loan for a new car. It can be hard to dig your way out of debt. And be cautious with student loans if you go that route. Vanessa is still paying off loans and she is 36.

More important than advice from an old man, you will find a check. Which I am sure is more important that all the above. Have fun this summer, the summer after I graduated was one of the most fun summers of my life. Old enough to have the freedoms of an adult with none of the responsibilities – like making rent, paying bills, etc. So if you ignore all the above please follow this one piece of advice – have fun this summer!

Grace and Madison Cox graduate

Young Madison and Grace,

Congratulations on a date that has been 12 (ok 13 if you count kindergarten) years in the making. The day that you two have attended you last class. Sure this feels like an ordeal, a 12 year march of drudgery. But that is to prepare you for the never ending drudgery of loan payments – student loans, car loans, credit cards, et al. And well payments for the rest of your life – rent at first, then mortgages,electric, cell phone etc. So this drudgery does not end, it is merely transformed.

But it still is a joyous occasion – a first taste of freedom. Being able to do what you want, when you want. That lasts for about a summer, then you either go to college with it's responsibilities or you get a job and everything that goes with that And suddenly you are not as free as you once were. Now is a fun time – most of the rights and privileges with being and adult, but none of the responsibilities!

You are twins which is a unique situation. I am sure that your parents did not find it unique when they had 2 sets of diapers to change or when 1 child fell asleep just as the other awoke – crying loud enough to re-awake the other. But you two have had a built in playmate and even best friend. I have seen many sets of twins keep this special relationship all of their lives. I hope that this is the case for the both of you in the future.

Advice given from me should be measured carefully by the advised. You have to consider the source.

1. Travel while you are young and unencumbered. As you get older and acquire husbands and even children it gets harder to find the time and $$ for travel. So if there is a place on your bucket list that you want to see, do it early.
2. Neither a borrow nor a lender be. Going to college, you can't hardly go without incurring debt. But I have seen a lot of young people get out of school and get that nice new car and get a credit card and a few years down the road, they can barely manage payments. Live below your means get a gently used car. Have a gas credit card that you pay off each month and stop at that.
3. Everything in Moderation. Food, alcohol, even love. Don't overindulge in things. Take life slowly, savor it, and make it last.

Well that is the best that I can do to prepare you for the world. It is not much, but then advice is wasted on the young. I could wax on for volumes, but then you guys would not pay attention anyway. Enjoy the checks and spend it on fun things – but not too much fun.